Semiconductor processing includes various techniques performed on a substrate to form electronic devices such as integrated circuits. Examples of such techniques include layer deposition (e.g., using electroless or electrochemical deposition, physical vapor deposition, or chemical vapor deposition), cleaning techniques, and chemical mechanical planarization.
Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) is a technique used to create a level (i.e., planar) surface on a substrate. CMP is typically used to remove excess metal and other unwanted materials when forming metallization on a substrate during back end of the line (BEOL) semiconductor processes. CMP is performed by dispensing a chemical slurry onto the substrate, and rotating a pad having abrasive particles over the substrate surface. The rotation polishes the surface to create a smooth, level surface.
Combinatorial processing may refer to various techniques to vary characteristics of the processes applied to multiple regions of a substrate in serial, parallel or parallel-serial fashion. Combinatorial processing may be used to test and compare multiple and various processing techniques. The processing techniques may be validated, and those techniques that are useful may be applied to, for example, different substrates or full-substrate processing.
Thus, what is needed is techniques for performing combinatorial processing to evaluate CMP and other processes using movement within a region.